Several blackjack side wagers have appeared in recent years. Top of the Deck is a side bet on whether or not the player and/or dealer will receive a xe2x80x9cnaturalxe2x80x9d (a two-card 21).
Over/Under 13 is a side bet on whether the player""s first two cards will total over or under 13. The side wager is made at the start of a new hand.
Royal Match (Boylan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,107) is a side bet on whether the player""s first two cards will be of the same suit. The wager is made at the start of the new hand, and is a completely passive bet.
Super 7s is a bet on whether on not the player will receive one or more sevens in his/her hand.
Bust-Out is a side wager which is made while the blackjack hand is in progress. Where the dealer""s hand is xe2x80x9cstiff,xe2x80x9d i.e. a hard hand with value between 12 and 16, the players are allowed to wager on whether the next card will have the value of 10.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,485, issued in 1997 to Bill M. Woodland and Linda M. Woodland, discloses a side bet for blackjack wherein a player is allowed to wager on whether the player will receive a xe2x80x9cstiffxe2x80x9d hand. A variation allows the player to bet on whether he/she will be dealt a non-pair xe2x80x9cstiffxe2x80x9d hand or a pair of aces. In a still further embodiment, a player in a blackjack game is provided with the option of wagering on whether the first two cards will result in a xe2x80x9cstiffxe2x80x9d hand or a xe2x80x9csoftxe2x80x9d hand, i.e. that the player""s first two cards include an ace and either: 1) any non-ten denomination, i.e., an ace through nine, or 2) any non-ten and non-ace denomination, i.e. two through nine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,705, issued in 1997 to Elizabeth String, discloses a side bet wherein the player elects to bet on the player obtaining a winning hand by placing a wage on a second betting area, or whether to bet on the dealer obtaining a winning hand by placing a wager on a first betting area.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,579, issued in 1992 to Steve Griffiths, discloses a side bet to conventional blackjack wherein the player is wagering on whether the dealer will either bust on his hand or achieve a hand count of exactly 21.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,934, issued in 1995 to Louis J. Grassa, discloses a side bet to blackjack wherein a player can play not only his own hand against the dealer but by an extra play also those hands of the other players at the table. A first player making an extra play is betting on the outcome of the cards of a second players position, over which the first player has no control.
Destiny 21 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,917, issued in 1997 to Olaf Vancura) allows players to wager on the number of hits that they and/or the dealer will ultimately take.
What is needed is a further side wager game associated with blackjack that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art. In particular, the side wager should give the player an opportunity to win when the dealer has a ten-value card showing, and is therefore somewhat likely to obtain a hand having a difficult-to-beat score of twenty. Additionally, a side wager game with a very large and progressive jackpot is needed to attract player participation.
The present invention is directed to a method playing blackjack with a side wager that satisfies the above needs, and which is adapted for use with money, gaming chips and/or credits. The method of playing blackjack with a side wager of the present invention provides some or all of the following steps, which are provided in addition to the regular rules of play of the game of blackjack, which may involve one or more players playing against a dealer.
(A) Providing a platform for playing blackjack, wherein the platform is typically a blackjack table or a video gaming device. The platform defines at least one playing position, wherein each of the playing positions defines a wager area and a side wager area.
(B) Each player placing a wager in their wagering area to participate in the blackjack game, and each player placing a side wager in their side wager area to participate in a side wager.
(C) The dealer dealing each of the at least one players a hand of two cards, wherein the first and second cards are both placed face up, and the dealer dealing the dealer a hand of two cards, a first card being placed face up and a second card being placed face down.
(D) If the dealer""s face up card has a value of ten, and the total value of the player""s hand is 20, then:
(a) The player is paid a first amount.
(b) Or, if the playe""s cards are of the same suit, then the player is paid a second amount.
(c) Or, if the player""s cards are of equal rank, but not equal suit, then the player is paid a third amount.
(d) Or, if the player""s cards are of equal rank and of the same suit, then the player is paid a fourth amount.
(e) Or, if the player""s cards are of the same rank and the same suit, and if the player""s cards are of the same rank and suit as the dealer""s face up card, then the player is paid a fifth amount.
(f) Or, if the player""s cards are of the same rank and the same suit, and if the player""s cards are of the same rank and suit as the dealer""s face up card and face down card, then the player is paid a sixth amount.
(E) Or else, if the dealer""s face up card does not have a value of ten, or if the player""s two cards do not total 20, then the player forfeits the side wager.
(F) The dealer continues to deal cards and settle the wager of each of the at least one players according to the rules of the game of blackjack.
It is therefore a primary advantage of the present invention to provide a novel method of playing blackjack with a side wager which increases player interest.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel method of playing blackjack with a side wager which will aid the house or video gaming device owner to increase revenue with little additional capital investment.
A still further advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel method of playing blackjack with a side wager which provides the player with the opportunity to win a very large jackpot.